Medical Questions » Other Problems Questions » Question No. 772
| Question: | My 12 year old daughter is a head taller than everyone else in her class. Is there any way of stopping her from becoming too tall? |
| Answer: | The first thing to determine is her final height. Because children mature at different rates (eg. some girls start their periods years before others), statistical tables and comparison with peers is not a very accurate method of estimating final height.
Radiologists have developed a sneaky way of giving a quite accurate estimate of final height (plus or minus 2 centimetres) by x-raying the child' s wrist. There are many different tiny bones in the wrist that harden at different stages of a child' s physiological (not chronological) age. By seeing what these bones look like on the X-ray, and comparing the results and their present height with a previously devised table of results, the estimate of final height can be made.
If it turns out that your daughter will be 190cm (6ft 4in) or more in height, your GP can refer her to an endocrinologist (gland specialist), who, after further blood tests and other investigations, may give special hormones to slow or stop further growth if that is desired. It is very important to do this at an early stage, because it is better to slow growth than to try and stop it suddenly when the rapidly maturing woman may already be far taller than she wishes. See your GP to arrange the initial X-ray.
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